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I speak as someone who has the honor of having been investigated by the FBI before my twelfth birthday — I had subscribed to a socialist newspaper. This was in Southern California in the early ’60’s, and even there they managed to arrive on a dark rainy night, wearing trenchcoats! Later, my draft-related federal felony convictions were pardoned, unasked by me, by President Carter.

Only slightly off-topic, I was remembering today how I had an outburst of emotional road-rage a few months ago, when I drove out of my driveway on some morning errand and met a Google street-view vehicle coming toward me. I’m an old man now, so nothing really happened, but the emotional side of me could have done unprovoked illegal violence on that vehicle. I was remembering that incident today, and mulling the consequences and ethics of various courses of action.

I could go on and on, the point is that Google has the legal right to take those pictures of my house (essentially on modern interpretation of old English common law).

The FBI legally, AND any other alphabet intelligence agency, under current precedent, by secret legal interpretation of any of thousands of draconian laws and executive orders issued and not rescinded since Roosevelt’s first term in the 30’s (and including some cold war total-state-authority-doctrine doozies from the 40’s and 50’s that could justify just about anything), could use the same legal authority to bring their drones 20 feet over my head while I take care of my yards or put out my garbage.

And don’t forget the tech possibilities, they might have nano-drones that look like insects!

What a great nation to live in. I’ve gotta have a fog machine, or a big snare trap rigged up in the trees, or at least a white noise generator to keep them from hearing me talk to my cat.

What I’ve learned from it so far, is to always remember, the worse things seem to get, the more necessary and ethical it is to keep positive emotions on all topics and events.

Dear me; where does it stop? First overseas and lo and behold; it works. So now we’ll add just one more slight dimension to our domestic spying; drones over America.
This isn’t surprising, really. But what is surprising is the acceptance and lack of outrage. Very telling. Need I go on?

I was just reading on Counterpunch that over 300,000 Americans were spied on last year by the government based on open sources. The author said no doubt far more that the government has not admitted to.
Well for once the government has made a step in the right direction. America needs to be ruled by a big brother or at least a big nanny. With a population of over 300 million by my count that means there are around 270 million criminals to check up on. I arrive at that figure by counting the child molestors, the wife beaters, the Klan members, the rapists, the war criminals, the dangerous drug pushers,
the white collar criminals (also known as the financial sector), the con men (also known as the advertising industry, and the telephone marketing industry) the thieves, the murderers. Only a few percent of the US population is currently locked up. Learning who is up to what is the first step to putting the other 98% where they belong.